tomboy

/ˈtɒm.bɔɪ/

//ˈtɒm.bɔɪ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"tomboy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tomboy” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,738. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,738
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A girl who behaves in a typically boyish manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tomboy · tomboy · English

tomboy · rank #37,738 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,738
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tonsils

Nearest frequency peer: tonsils (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “tomboy”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “tomboy” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

tomboy vs Tommy
50% similar
tomboy vs Tombs
50% similar
tomboy vs tomb
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for tomboy
PropertyValue
Headwordtomboy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɒm.bɔɪ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#37,738
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tomboy”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).tomboylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “tonsils” (#37,739), “Tiananmen” (#37,735), “throes” (#37,734). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tomboy” is #37,738. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around tomboy (IPA /ˈtɒm.bɔɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,738 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for tomboy, with forms such as "otmboy", "tmoboy", and "tobmoy". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Tommy", "Tombs", "tomb", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tom + boy. First attested in Ralph Roister Doister (published 1567, written circa 1552), where it is used to describe a boisterous girl; the OED says the citation is however "generally taken" to mean a boisterous boy, and says that a use in The Old Law… The correct English form is tomboy, spelled T-O-M-B-O-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A girl who behaves in a typically boyish manner.
  2. 2
    A rude, boisterous boy.
  3. 3
    An immodest or bold woman.
  4. 4
    A butch lesbian.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how tomboy appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. His sister, his dearest and only playmate, is a tomboy at heart.
  2. “When you have a little girl like mine who is obsessed with the ocean and giant squids and insect infestations in homes, she’s considered weird or odd or a tomboy when in fact, science and things like that should be considered girly.”

Etymology

From tom + boy. First attested in Ralph Roister Doister (published 1567, written circa 1552), where it is used to describe a boisterous girl; the OED says the citation is however "generally taken" to mean a boisterous boy, and says that a use in The Old Law (published 1656, thought to have been written circa 1599) "certainly" means a boy: "must young court-tits / play tomboys' tricks with her?" By 1579 it was attested in the meaning "an immodest woman", and by no later than 1592 it had developed its modern meaning of a “girl who acts like a boy”.

This word in other languages

marimacho(Español)garçon manqué(Français)burschikos(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • otmboy
  • tmoboy
  • tobmoy
  • tombboy
  • tomboyy
  • tombyo
  • tommboy
  • tomoby
  • ttomboy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tomboy - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

otmboy2tmoboy2tobmoy2tombboy1tomboyy1tombyo2tommboy1tomoby2
Edit distance from "tomboy"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tomboy"?
"tomboy" is spelled T-O-M-B-O-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɒm.bɔɪ/.
What does "tomboy" mean?
As a noun, "tomboy" means: A girl who behaves in a typically boyish manner.
What words are commonly confused with "tomboy"?
"tomboy" is commonly confused with "Tommy", "Tombs", "tomb". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tomboy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tomboy" is /ˈtɒm.bɔɪ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "tomboy"?
From tom + boy. First attested in Ralph Roister Doister (published 1567, written circa 1552), where it is used to describe a boisterous girl; the OED says the citation is however "generally taken" to mean a boisterous boy, and says that a use in T... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "tomboy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

throes#37,734uncool#37,750sylvan#37,722uptick#37,755

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

urchin9 variantsvandal9 variantsstrobe9 variantsstowed9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list